Habla Town Profile (including Ad Dab’a...

Habla Town Profile (including Ad Dab’a

Locality)

Prepared by

The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem

Funded by

Spanish Cooperation

2013

Palestinian Localities Study Qalqiliya Governorate

1

Acknowledgments

ARIJ hereby expresses its deep gratitude to the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for

Development (AECID) for their funding of this project.

ARIJ is grateful to the Palestinian officials in the ministries, municipalities, joint services councils,

village committees and councils, and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) for their

assistance and cooperation with the project team members during the data collection process.

ARIJ also thanks all the staff who worked throughout the past couple of years towards the

accomplishment of this work.


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Background

This report is part of a series of booklets, which contain compiled information about each city, town,

and village in the Qalqiliya Governorate. These booklets came as a result of a comprehensive study

of all localities in Qalqiliya Governorate, which aims at depicting the overall living conditions in the

governorate and presenting developmental plans to assist in developing the livelihood of the

population in the area. It was accomplished through the "Village Profiles and Needs Assessment;"

the project funded by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID).

The "Village Profiles and Needs Assessment" was designed to study, investigate, analyze and

document the socio-economic conditions and the needed programs and activities to mitigate the

impact of the current unsecure political, economic and social conditions in Qalqiliya Governorate.

The project's objectives are to survey, analyze, and document the available natural, human,

socioeconomic and environmental resources, and the existing limitations and needs assessment for

the development of the rural and marginalized areas in Qalqiliya Governorate. In addition, the

project aims at preparing strategic developmental programs and activities to mitigate the impact of

the current political, social, and economic instability with the focus on the agricultural sector.

All locality profiles in Arabic and English are available online at http://vprofile.arij.org.

http://vprofile.arij.org/


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Table of Contents

Location and Physical Characteristics _________________________ 4

History ___________________________________________________________ 5

Religious and Archaeological Sites _____________________________ 6

Population _______________________________________________________ 8

Education ________________________________________________________ 8

Health Status ____________________________________________________ 9

Economic Activities _____________________________________________ 9

Agricultural Sector _____________________________________________ 11

Institutions and Services _______________________________________ 14

Infrastructure and Natural Resources ________________________ 14

Environmental Conditions _____________________________________ 16

Impact of the Israeli Occupation ______________________________ 17

Development Plans and Projects ______________________________ 27

Implemented Projects __________________________________________ 27

Proposed Projects ______________________________________________ 28

Locality Development Priorities and Needs ___________________ 29

References ______________________________________________________ 30


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Habla Town Profile1

Location and physical characteristics

Habla (including the Ad Dab’a locality) is a Palestinian town in the Qalqiliya Governorate, located

3-5km south of Qalqiliya City. It is bordered by Al Mudawwar to the east, Al Mudawwar, Ras ‘Atiya

and ‘Izbat Jalud to the south, the Green Line (lands of 1948) to the west, and Qalqiliya city, Wadi ar

Rasha and Ras at Tira to the north (ARIJ-GIS, 2013) (see map 1).

Map 1: Habla location and borders

Source: ARIJ - GIS Unit, 2013

Habla is located at an altitude of 71-159m above sea level with a mean annual rainfall of 589-

590mm. The average annual temperature is 19oC whilst the average annual humidity is

approximately 63% (ARIJ-GIS, 2013).

Until 2012, Ad Dab’a had been governed by a Projects Committee. However, in 2012, after a

decision by the Palestinian Ministry of Councils and the Ministry of Local Government, Ad Dab’a

was merged with the bigger locality of Habla town under Habla Municipal Council.

1 The information listed in this profile includes the information of both Habla town and Ad Dab’a locality; based on the

Local Government's decision in 2012 to merge the two localities under one local council.


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The classification of the residential areas borders has been adopted in this profile based on the

administrative division of Palestinian communities, according to the Palestinian National

Authority(PNA). This administrative division system has been developed by the Palestinian Ministry

of Planning, the Ministry of Local Government, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics(PCBS),

and the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Since 1997, Habla has been governed by a Municipal Council which is currently administrated by 11

members appointed by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). There are also 18 employees

working in the council, which owns a permanent headquarters that is included within the ‘Western

Joint Services Council.’ The Council possesses a vehicle for the collection of solid waste in addition

to two pick-up cars, a bulldozer and a small hammer (Habla Municipal council, 2012).

It is the responsibility of the Municipal Council to provide a number of services to the residents of

Habla, including:

The establishment and maintenance of the drinking water and electricity networks.

Waste collection and street cleaning.

Provision of road networks in addition to road rehabilitation, construction and paving.

Implementation of projects and studies for the town.

Protection of historical and archeological sites.

Protection of governmental properties.

Organization of the construction and licensing processes.

Provision of transportation.

Provision of educational kindergartens.

Provision of offices for governmental services. (Habla Municipal Council, 2012)

History

Habla town was named after the scientist Ibn Sinan Al Habali, while Ad Dab’a locality (from the

word ‘dabi’’ which literally means hyena) was named after a large cave in the area that was

inhabited by hyenas, over which people built their houses when they came to the area.

The town was established in 1214 A.D., with its residents descending from Al Hijazz countries,

Marda town in Salfit Governorate, Ma’an in Jordan and Kafr Thulth and Qalansuwa localities (Habla

Municipal Council, 2012).


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Photo of Habla

Religious and archaeological sites

There are five mosques in the town (Sharhabeel ben Hasna, Al Khulafa’ ar Rashideen, Ash Sheikha

Mariam, Omar Ben al Khattab and the Old Mosque). The town has several sites of archaeological

interest including the Omari Mosque and the Sons of Al ‘Awwam Shrine, which contains a small

mosque, a yard and the mummified remains of fighters from the Islamic conquest. There are also

some Christian tombs in the town carved in to the rocks since the Roman rule as well as the hyena

cave (Habla Municipal Council, 2012) (see map 2).


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Map 2: Main locations in Habla town



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Population

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the total population of Habla in

2007 was 6,166, of whom 3,169 were male and 2,997 female. There were 1,119 households

registered as living in 1,198 housing units.

Age groups and gender

The General Census of Population and Housing carried out by PCBS in 2007 showed the distribution

of age groups in Habla was as follows: 42.8% were less than 15 years of age, 53.2% were between

15 and 64 years of age, and 2.9% were 65 years of age or older. Data also showed that the gender

ratio of males to females in the town was 106:100, meaning that males and females constituted 51%

and 49% of the population respectively.

Families

Habla residents descend from four main families, Odah, Mardawi, Kharroob and Shahwan (Habla


Education

According to the results of the PCBS Population, Housing and Establishment Census - 2007, the

illiteracy rate among the Habla population is approximately 7.6%, 75% of whom are females. Of the

total population, 16.3% could only read and write with no formal education, 30.6% had elementary

education, 24.9% had preparatory education, 13.8% had secondary education, and 6.6% had

completed higher education. Table 1 shows the educational level in the town of Habla by gender and

educational attainment in 2007.

Table 1: Habla population (10 years and above) by gender and educational attainment

S

E

x

Illiter

ate

Can

read &

write

Element

ary

Preparat

ory

Secondar

y

Associate

Diploma Bachelor

Higher

Diploma Masters

PhD Unkno

wn Total

M 81 328 650 593 355 67 107 2 6 0 3 2,192 F 245 367 656 469 236 30 70 1 0 0 2 2,076 T 326 695 1,306 1,062 591 97 177 3 6 0 5 4,268 Source: PCBS, 2009.

There are five public schools in the town, all of which are run by the Palestinian Ministry of Higher

Education (Directorate of Education in Qalqiliya, 2012) (see table 2).

Table 2: Schools in Habla by name, stage, sex, and supervising authority (2011/2012)

School Name Supervising authority Gender

Habla Boys’ Secondary School Government Male

Habla Girls’ Secondary School Government Female

Habla Boys’ Elementary School Government Male

Habla Girls’ Elementary School Government Female

As Sumood Co-educational Secondary School Government Mixed

Source: Directorate of Education in Qalqiliya, 2012


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There are 2,152 students, 125 teachers, and 78 classes in the town. The average number of students

per teacher in the school is nearly 17, whilst the average number of students per class is

approximately 28 (Directorate of Education in Qalqiliya, 2012).

There are also 3 kindergartens in Habla town which are run by different private organizations

(Directorate of Education in Qalqiliya, 2012) (see table 3 below).

Table 3: Kindergartens in Habla town by name and supervising authority

Name of kindergarten No. of classes No. of teachers Supervising authority

Al Baylasan Kindergarten 3 4 Private

Habla Charitable Society Kindergarten 6 7 Private

Noor al Huda Kindergarten 3 4 Private Source: Directorate of Education in Qalqiliya, 2012

The educational sector in Habla town faces a number of obstacles:

The inactive parents council in the boys’ schools.

The heading of students for tutoring

The lack of a specialized education center for people with special needs.

The lack of scientific laboratories and teaching aids.

The lack of classrooms.

(Habla Municipal Council, 2012)

Health status

Habla has a health center (Habla health center), two private physician’s clinics, 3 private dental

clinics, a private otolaryngologist clinic, a private medical lab, a mother and child care center run by

a charitable society and 3 private pharmacies. This is in addition to Ad Dab’a Health Clinic which

has a resident nurse, but the medical staff only work two days a week. The town also has an

ambulance. In the absence of required health services or in emergencies, patients are transferred to

either Darweesh Nazzal Hospital, Qalqiliya Health Center in Qalqiliya city (6 and 3km away

respectively) or to the UNRWA Hospital (8km away) (Habla Municipal Council, 2012).

The health sector in the town faces a number of obstacles and problems:

The lack of an emergency center.

The existence of the Segregation Wall which makes access and supply retrieval difficult.

The lack of a 24 hour health service.

The lack of communication between the private and governmental clinics.

The lack of specialized doctors for birth conditions and for patients suffering from chronic

diseases.



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Economic activities

The economy in Habla is dependent mainly on the Israeli labor market, which absorbs 45% of the

town’s workforce (Habla Municipal Council, 2012) (see figure 1).

The results of a field survey conducted by the ARIJ team in 2012 for the distribution of labor by

economic activity in Habla are as follows:

Israeli labor market (45%)

Agriculture sector (36%)

Government or other employees sector (10%)

Trade sector (5%)

Industry (2%)

Services sector (2%)

Figure 1: The distribution of labor force among main economic activities in Habla

Source: Habla Municipal Council, 2012

Habla has 24 groceries stores, 3 fruit and vegetable stores, 3 bakeries, 2 butchers, 15 service stores,

10 different professional workshops, 4 stonemasons, 5 agricultural nurseries and 2 stores for

agricultural tools (Habla Municipal Council, 2012).

In 2012, the unemployment rate in Habla reached 23% and the most economically affected groups

are as follows;

Former workers in Israel.

Workers in the agriculture sector.

Workers in the trade sector.

Industrial workers.

Workers in the services sector. (Habla Municipal Council, 2012)


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Labor force

According to the PCBS Population, Housing and Establishment Census - 2007, 35.3% of Habla’s

labor force was economically active, of whom 85.7% were employed, 64.5% were not economically

active, 51.1% were students, and 38.1% were housekeepers (see table 4).

Table 4: Habla population (10 years of age and above) by sex and employment status

S

e

x

Economically active Non-economically active

Not

stated Total Employ-

ed

Currently

unemploy

ed

Unemplo

yed

(never

worked)

Total Stude

nt

Housek

eeping

Unable

to work

Not

working

& not

looking

for work

Others Total

M 1,114 125 74 1,313 735 1 106 8 22 872 7 2,192

F 178 5 10 193 672 1,048 106 3 53 1,882 1 2,076

T 1,292 130 84 1,506 1,407 1,049 212 11 75 2,754 8 4,268 M: Male; F: Female; T: Total.

Source: PCBS, 2009

Agricultural sector

Habla has a total area of approximately 5,249 dunums of which 4,228 are arable land and 616

dunums are registered as residential (see table 5 and map 3).

Table 5: Land use and land cover in Habla town (area in dunums)

Total

area

Built

up

area

Agricultural area

(4,228)

Inland

water

Forests Open

spaces

Area of

industrial,

commercial &

transport unit

Area of

settlements,

military

bases &

Wall zone

Permanent

crops

Green-

houses

Range-

lands

Arable

lands

5,249 616 1,394 119 1,596 1,119 0 0 293 6 106

Source: ARIJ – GIS Unit, 2013


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Map 3: Land use/land cover and Segregation Wall in Habla Town


Table 6 shows the different types of rain-fed and irrigated open-cultivated vegetables in Habla. The

most commonly cultivated crops within this area are cauliflowers and white cabbages, there are a

total area of 191 dunums of greenhouses in the town and the most commonly cultivated crops within

this cucumber

Table 6: Total area of rain-fed and irrigated open cultivated vegetables in Habla (area in dunums)

Fruity

vegetables

Leafy

vegetables Green legumes Bulbs

Other

vegetables Total area

Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr.

0 95 0 70 45 15 5 12 0 70 50 262 Rf.: Rain-fed; Irr.: Irrigated.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture - Qalqiliya, 2010

Table 7 shows the different types of fruit trees planted in the area. Habla is famous for olive

cultivation and there are approximately 1,094 dunums of land planted with olive trees in the town.

Table 7: Total area of horticulture and olive trees in Habla (area in dunums)

Olives Citrus Stone fruits Pome fruits Nuts Other fruits Total area

Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr.

1,094 0 0 261.8 0 14 0 1 0 2 4 98.7 1,098 377.5 Rf.: Rain-fed; Irr.: Irrigated.



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In terms of field crops and forage in Habla, cereals (particularly wheat) are the most cultivated,

covering an area of approximately 23 dunums (see table 8).

Table 8: Total area of horticulture and olive trees in Habla (area in dunums)

Cereals Bulbs Dry

legumes Oil crops

Forage

crops

Stimulatin

g crops

Other

crops Total area

Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr. Rf. Irr.

23 0 8 90 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 37 100 Rf.: Rain-fed; Irr.: Irrigated.


The difference between the two sets of results obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and

ARIJ’s GIS Unit in size of agricultural area is explained by the difference in each organization’s

definition of land coverage and ownership. The MoA and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics

(2011) conducted a survey which used a definition of agricultural areas based on land ownership.

Therefore, the areas included in the survey were those of actual holdings of agricultural areas and did

not include fragmented and small seasonal cultivated areas in residential and agricultural areas.

ARIJ’s survey, however, indicated the existence of a high proportion of small and fragmented

holdings (home gardens) throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. This therefore accounts for

the larger area of agricultural holdings calculated by ARIJ.

The field survey conducted by the ARIJ team shows that 11% of the residents in Habla rear and keep

domestic animals such as sheep and goats (see table 9).

Table 9: Livestock in Habla

Cows* Sheep Goats Camels Horses Donkeys Mules Broilers Layers Bee hives

10 1,267 332 0 0 0 0 12,000 8,000 0 *Including cows, bull calves, heifer calves and bulls

Source: Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture - Qalqiliya, 2010

There are approximately 46km of agricultural roads in the town, divided as follows:

Table 10: Agricultural roads in Habla town and their lengths

Suitability of agricultural roads Length (km)

For vehicles 6

For tractors and agricultural machinery only 20

For animals only 0

Unsuitable 20 Source: Habla Municipal Council, 2012

The agricultural sector in the town faces some problems including;

The confiscation of lands by the Israelis.

The lack of economic feasibility for agricultural investment.

The lack of capital for agricultural projects.

The lack of access to agricultural lands.

The high price of water.

The high prices of feed, fertilizers and pesticides.

The lack of good marketing of agricultural products.

The lack of interest given by the Ministry of Agriculture to farmers.

The lack of agricultural roads to provide access to agricultural lands. (Habla Municipal Council, 2012)


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Institutions and services

Habla town has a post office as well as numerous local institutions and associations that provide

services to various sectors of society. These include;

Habla Municipal Council: Founded in 1997 and currently registered by the Ministry of

Local Government, with the aim of addressing different issues concerning the town and

providing various services and infrastructure for its residents.

Habla Charitable Society: Founded in 1982 and currently registered by the Ministry of the

Interior, is interested in providing children with sport activities, educational and training

courses, as well as a kindergarten.

Habla Sports Club: Founded in 1996 and currently registered by the Ministry of Youth &

Sports, aims to provide young people with sports and social activities.

The Red Crescent Society: Founded in 2001 by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and

interested in providing educational, health and awareness courses.

The Mother & Child Center: Founded in 2010 by the Red Crescent Society and interested

in providing training courses and awareness, educational and physiological seminars to

mothers.


Infrastructure and natural resources

Electricity and telecommunication services:

Habla and Ad Dab’a have each been connected to two public electricity networks since 1976 and

2011 respectively. Both are served by the Israeli Qatariya Electricity Company, which is the main

source of electricity in both localities, and 100% of the housing units in both localities are connected

to the networks. However, the town faces some obstacles concerning the electricity sector, primarily

the weak electric transformers (Habla Municipal Council, 2012).

Habla and Ad Dab’a are also each connected to telecommunication networks and approximately

98% and 30% of the housing units within the localities’ boundaries are connected to phone lines,

respectively (Habla Municipal Council, 2012).

Transportation services:

There are 15 taxis, 7 large taxis (7 passengers) and 5 public buses in Habla. These are considered

insufficient to serve the transport needs of the town, thus, the residents use private cars or public

vehicles from Ras ‘Atiya (Habla Municipal Council, 2012). There are 15km of main roads and 16km of

secondary roads in Habla (Habla Municipal Council, 2012) (see table 11).


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Table 11: Roads in Habla own

Status of internal roads

Road length (km)

Main Sub

1. Paved and in good condition 8 6.5

2. Paved and in poor condition 3 3

3. Unpaved 4 6.5 Source: Habla Municipal Council, 2012

Water resources:

Habla is provided with water by Habla Municipal Council through wells owned by the municipality.

The water is supplied through the public water networks established in 1976 and 2005 in Habla town

and Ad Dab’a locality respectively. All of the housing units are connected to the network (Habla


The quantity of water supplied to Habla town in 2012 was recorded as approximately 560,400m3per

year (Habla Municipal Council, 2012). Therefore, the estimated rate of water supply per capita is

approximately 215 liters per day. However, no Habla citizen consumes this amount of water due to

water losses, which are estimated to be 20% (Habla Municipal Council, 2012). These losses happen at the

main source, along major transport lines, in the distribution network, and at the household level.

Therefore, the rate of water consumption per capita in Habla is 172 liters per day (Habla Municipal

Council, 2012). The average water consumption of Habla residents is considered very good compared

with the minimum quantity of 100 liters per capita per day proposed by the World Health

Organization. Each cubic meter of water from the public network costs 4 NIS (Habla Municipal Council,

2012).

The town also has 40 individual household rainwater harvesting cisterns, as well as 2 water

reservoirs of 200 m3 and 300m

3capacity. There are 9 additional agricultural wells privately owned by

citizens in the town which are used for agricultural purposes, including the irrigation of fruit and

citrus trees and greenhouses (Habla Municipal Council, 2012).

Sanitation:

Habla lacks a public sewerage network and most of the population use cesspits and septic tanks as

the main means of wastewater disposal (Habla Municipal Council, 2012).

Based on the estimated daily per capita water consumption, the approximate quantity of wastewater

generated per day is 893m3, or 358,000m

3 annually. At the individual level, it is estimated that the

per capita wastewater amount is approximately 137 liters per day. The wastewater collected by

cesspits and septic tanks is discharged by wastewater tankers directly into open areas or nearby

valleys with little regard for the environment. It is noted that there is no wastewater treatment either

at the source or at the disposal sites and this poses a serious threat to the environment as well as to

public health (ARIJ - WERU, 2013).

Solid waste management:

The Joint Services Council for Solid Waste is responsible for the collection and disposal of solid

waste generated by citizens and establishments in the town. As the process of solid waste

management is costly, a monthly fee amounting to 20-30 NISper household is charged to the houses

and businesses served by domestic solid waste collection and transportation services. All of these

fees are collected from the citizens (Habla Municipal Council, 2012).


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Most of the population in Habla benefits from the solid waste services; waste is collected from

households, institutions, shops and public squares in plastic bags, and placed in 188 containers (88 of

which are of 1m³ capacity and 100 of which are 180 liters capacity) located at various places in the

town. The Joint Council collects the solid waste three times a week and transports it using a waste

vehicle to Zahret al Finjan dumping site in Jenin Governorate, 80-100km from the town, where it is

subsequently buried (Habla Municipal Council, 2012).

The daily per capita rate of solid waste production in Habla is 1.05kg. Thus the estimated amount of

solid waste produced per day from the Habla residents is nearly 7.5 tons, or 2,739 tons per year (ARIJ-WERU, 2013).

Environmental conditions

Like other towns and towns in the Governorate, Habla experiences several environmental problems

which must be addressed and solved. These problems can be identified as follows:

Water crisis

Water is cut off by Habla Municipality for long periods of time mainly during summer because the

quantity of water available does not meet the citizens’ water needs. There is also a high rate of water

losses due to the aged network and the residents often complain about the high price of water.

Wastewater management

The absence of a public sewage network in the town means that Habla residents are forced to use

unhygienic cesspits for the disposal of wastewater, and/or to discharge wastewater into the streets, as

citizens cannot afford the high cost of sewage tankers. This is particularly common in winter. These

methods facilitate environmental damage, health problems, and the spread of epidemics and diseases

in the town. This wastewater also contaminates the groundwater because most cesspits are built

without lining. Moreover, the untreated wastewater collected from cesspits by sewage tankers is

disposed of in open areas without concern for the damage it causes to the environment and to

residents' health.

Solid waste management

Habla town does not suffer any problems concerning the management of solid waste. This is due to

the adequate organization and management of waste disposal services by the Joint Council for the

Management of Solid Waste. Waste is disposed of in Zahret al Finjan landfill in Jenin Governorate

which is the main environmentally sound landfill serving the town, as well as most of the other

localities in the Qalqiliya Governorate.


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Impact of the Israeli Occupation

Geopolitical status in Habla

According to the Oslo II Interim Agreement signed on 28th

September 1995 by the Palestinian

Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel, Habla was divided into areas B and C. Approximately 771

dunums (21.1% of the town’s total area) were assigned as area B, where the Palestinian National

Authority (PNA) has complete control over civil matters but Israel continues to have overriding

responsibility for security. area B constitutes most of the inhabited Palestinian areas including

municipalities, villages and some refugee camps. Most of the population of Habla resides in area B.

The rest of the town’s area, constituting 2,878 dunums (78.9 % of the total), is classified as area C,

where Israel retains full control over security and administration related to the territory. In area C,

Palestinian building and land management is prohibited without the prior consent or authorization of

the Israeli Civil Administration. Most of the lands lying within area C are agricultural areas, open

spaces and confiscated lands which were taken to build Israeli settlements (see Table 12).

Table 12: The geopolitical divisions of Habla according to the Oslo II Interim Agreement in 1995

Percentage of total town area Area in dunums Area

0 0 Area A

21.1 771 Area B

78.9 2,878 Area C

0 0 Nature reserve

100 3,649 Total

Source: ARIJ-GIS, 2013

Israeli occupation practices on Habla town

Habla has been subjected to numerous Israeli confiscations for the benefit of various Israeli

objectives, demonstrated by the construction of Israeli settlements and bypass roads on the town

territories. This is in addition to the Segregation Plan realized through the Segregation Wall, and the

isolation of agricultural lands and open areas. The following sections are details of the Israeli

confiscations on Habla town.

The Israeli Segregation Wall and Nirit Israeli Settlement

Part of Nirit settlement is located to the south of Habla town, and very close to it 6 dunums from the

town lands were confiscated for this purpose. Moreover, it is worth to mention that Nirit settlement

is located to the west of the Green line (Armistice Line of 1949). According to the PCPS,2010, the

number of settlers living in this settlement is 1,100. This settlement Bloc was established in 1981,

and continued to expand through the years, 1986, 2000,2004,2006,2009, to enter through the

Palestinian lands. As a result, the number of buildings and the population total has significantly risen

(see Table 13 ).


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Table 13: Number of buildings that have been added to the new neighborhood 'Nov Hisharon' inside

the Palestinian territories and of Nirit settlement bloc within the Green Line

Year Buildings

2116 27

2118 31

2119 42

Source: ARIJ- 2009

The Israeli occupation claims that the construction of the Separation Wall in the occupied Palestinian

territories is due to security reasons under the pretext of protecting Israeli citizens. ,but on the real

ground ,the Palestinian territories area, which will be isolated between the Separation Wall and the

Armistice Line of 1949 (Green Line) is 733 square kilometers. This represents 13% of the total area

of the West Bank, in addition to the annexation of 107 Israeli settlements, which constitute more than

85% of the Israeli settler population living in the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories of the

West Bank.

It seems that Israel has begun the second phase of what it is seeking to achieve by building the

Segregation Wall. After the isolation of the Palestinian territories from the main communities in the

West Bank, Israel is taking advantage of uninhabited spaces and linking them to Israel, by following

the same pattern that has been done in the building process of the settlements. But this time, Israel is

seeking to link the Israeli settlements in the West Bank with the cities and Israeli communities which

are adjacent to the Green Line. The Israeli plan to expand Nirit settlement bloc which stretches

within the occupied West Bank territories and link it with Alfei Menashe, is nothing more than a

move to impose a reality on the ground through the control on the western isolation zone (Palestinian

territories isolated between the Separation Wall and between the Green Line) ( the armistice line of

1949 ). This can be seen as an effort to undermine the development of the Green Line and redraw it

in order to fit with what they are trying to impose as a fact on the ground. Through the construction

of the Separation Wall, Israel seeks to redraw their eastern border. Over the past years, the Israeli

plan aimed to expand Nirit settlement bloc Israel which stretches within the occupied West Bank

territories, in order to link it with Alfei Menashe, is nothing more than a move to impose a reality on

the ground through the control on the western isolation zone (Palestinian territories isolated between

the Separation wall and between the Green Line) .

The Israeli Checkpoints on Habla town

Israeli military checkpoints are considered a uniform procedure for the Israeli army in the occupied

Palestinian territories. They did not exist until the outbreak of the Second Intifada in September

2000. During this period the Israeli army established an unprecedented number of checkpoints in

addition to the restrictions already imposed on Palestinians living in the West Bank people when

they attempt to cross these barriers. Moreover these Human rights abuses and violations occur at


19

checkpoints on a daily basis practiced by the Israeli soldiers against Palestinian civilians from all

segments of society, students, teachers, patients, medical staff and employees. Alongside time

restrictions on the movement of Palestinians, These violations have included beatings, humiliation

and stripping clothes and making them wait for long hours under the burning sun or in cold weather

before allowing them to cross the checkpoints. Checkpoints and the soldiers stationed at them also

have a negative impact on Palestinian society, as they cause a separation of social relations,

economic separation between areas, high unemployment rates, and internal migration. The actions of

Israeli soldiers have particularly exceeded the attacks against Palestinian medical crews; Israeli

soldiers have prevented doctors and patients in most cases from crossing Israeli checkpoints,

including emergencies. As the Israeli soldiers stations at checkpoints to impose time restrictions on

the movement of Palestinians to cross the checkpoints in a certain time during specific periods in the

morning and in the evening, which will cause a lot of suffering for Palestinians.

The suffering of Habla town is not different from the suffering of other Palestinian villages in the

governorate of Qalqiliya, and other governorates in the West Bank. According to Separation Wall

plan which was published in 2003, Habla were isolated completely geographically and economically

from Qalqiliya city. However, after the establishment of the Separation Wall on Habla lands, the

Israeli military built a checkpoint at the northern entrance to the town of Habla, on bypass road no.55

which separates the Israeli settlement Alfei Menashe and the settlement bloc Karne Shomron (Ginnot

Shomeron and Ma'ale Shomron) and the town Habla, under the pretext of providing protection to the

Israeli settlers who use these bypass roads.

The geographical separation caused by the Wall and checkpoints has had huge consequences on the

residents of Habla and the surrounding villages because of their direct connection with each other. In

the past, it used to take the villagers a few minutes to reach the city of Qalqiliya, but with the

construction of the Wall according to the plan of 2003, reaching the city now takes more than an

hour by car because the Palestinians from these villages are forced to take long and circuitous routes.

As a result of the negative impact of the Separation Wall and the poor economic situation in these

villages, the residents of these Palestinian communities protested against the poor living conditions.

The protest succeeded in forcing the Israeli Authorities to make changes to the plan for the Wall.

This plan included making a tunnel between Qalqiliya and the town of Habla, in order to create an

important geographical and resulting economic connection between Habla and the neighboring

Palestinian villages. Such as the town of Habla, that is considered as a link between the neighboring

Palestinian villages and the city of Qalqiliya and the dependence of these villages on the centers Life

center in the city of Qalqiliya, such as educational institutions, health, economic, and service, etc.

However, the passage of Palestinian vehicles through the main tunnel of Habla– Qalqilyia was

controlled by the Israeli army through the establishment of an iron gate at the entrance. This gate was

only open at certain times during the day to allow the Palestinians to travel to and from Qalqiliya.

Furthermore, the Israeli occupation authorities established an agricultural gate on the route of the

wall in the town of Habla, from the south-west of the village in order to control the movement of the

villagers who pass to and from the Palestinian agricultural land that has been isolated by the Wall.

The Israeli occupation authorities only allow access to these isolated agricultural lands to farmers

who are able to prove their ownership of the land to the relevant Israeli official departments (such as


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the Israeli Civil Administration ICA), where permits are issued for land owners (usually the elderly

whose names are under the acts of real property). It is worth mentioning that the Israeli Civil

Administration is issuing these permits from one season to another, making it difficult to land owners

to cultivate their agricultural lands by themselves, especially since these permits do not include labor

or the equipment that is necessary for the cultivation of the land.

Israeli military orders which targeted Habla town

Throughout the years of Israeli occupation, the town of Habla has been targeted with many military

orders which have affected land and properties. Below is a list of Israeli military orders affecting

Habla, where information is obtainable:

Israeli military order no.43/02/T: issued on 8th

November 2002 to confiscate an area of 239.5

dunums of lands from the Habla, ‘Azzun and Qalqiliya city for the purpose of building the

Segregation Wall.

• Israeli military order no.40/02/T: issued on 26th September 2002 to confiscate an area of 239.5

dunums of lands from of Habla, ‘Azzun and Kafr Thulth for the purpose of building the Segregation

Wall.

• Israeli military order no.32/02/T: issued on 26th September 2002 to confiscate an area of 449

dunums of lands from the Habla, ‘Azzun and Ras 'Atiya for the purpose of building the Segregation

Wall.

• Israeli military order no.31/02/T: issued on 18th August,2002 to confiscate an area of 125 dunums

of lands from the Habla, and Qalqiliya city for the purpose of building the Segregation Wall.

• Israeli military order no.121/05/T: issued on 8th August 2005 to confiscate an area of 9.2 dunums

of lands from the Habla, for the purpose of road constructing.

• Israeli military order no31/02/T: issued on 1st November 2002 to confiscate an area of 76 dunums

of lands from the Habla, ‘for the purpose of a new amendment on the Segregation Wall.

Geopolitical status in Ad Dab'a

According to the Oslo II Interim Agreement signed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

and Israel on 28th September 1995, all the village land of Ad Dab'a is classified as area C, where

Israel retains full control over security and administration related to the territory. In area C,

Palestinian building and land management is prohibited without the prior consent or authorization of


21

the Israeli Civil Administration. This land includes the built up urban areas as well as agricultural

land and open spaces. (See Table 14)

Table 14: The geopolitical divisions of Ad Dab'a village according to Oslo Agreement 1995

Percentage of total village area Area in dunums Area

0 0 Area A

0 0 Area B

100 1599 Area C

0 0 Natural reserves

100 1599 Total


The settler Structural Plan of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank Including areas

classified as 'A' and 'B' , Israel grants the Israeli settlement councils more control over

Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank.

Since the begging of the Israeli occupation on the Palestinian territories in 1967, the successive

Israeli governments have invested huge resources in order to create and expand their illegal Israeli

settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, either in terms of the amount of land that has been

confiscated from Palestinians, or in terms of population. As a result of this policy, approximately 690

thousand Israeli settler and illegal immigrants living now in 196 Israeli settlements, including

settlements which are located in tourism (sites), and 232 outposts scattered throughout the West

Bank, including the settlements that have been set up in East Jerusalem, which is contrary to the

international law.

In 1991 ,the Israeli Civil Administration issued structural maps and plans of Israeli settlements in

the occupied West Bank, including plans in East Jerusalem. These plans included future expansion of

the Israeli settlements that already exists, taking into account the adoption of extra space for the

establishment of new settlements and the expansion of this list of settlements until the year 1991.

The structural plan of the Israeli settlement ‘Alfei Menashe, indicates that the planned space for the

expansion is not limited only on the settlement lands alone, but also includes the territories of the

surrounding Palestinian villages such as the villages of Ad Dab'a and Ras 'Atiya and Habla to also

include the villages that have been excluded from the isolation and the annexation Israeli plan

(according to the decision of the Israeli court issued in 2010).

It is worth mentioning that the total area of the proposed structural plan, that are issued by the Israeli

civil administration in 1991 was 486.137 dunums (486.1 km²), which is seven times the size of the

Israeli settlements that existed until the year 1991, amounting to 69,000 dunams (69 km²). Following

the signing of the first and second Oslo Accords, the first and second in the years 1993 and 1995 ,

respectively, and the classification of the Palestinian territories into areas "A" and "B" and "c", the

Israeli authorities ignored to issue plans for Palestinian communities lying in areas classified as area

"c" in order to meet the urban needs and keep up with the population growth as the Israeli authority

are in charge of the administrative and security issues in the areas that are classified as "c" , as it did


22

for the settlements, and remained Palestinian communities under threat of demolition for lack of

ability to issue the necessary permits, which avoided the demolitions and displacement due to the

imposition of the Israeli authorities measures long the complex and costly to Palestinians applying

for the necessary licenses that enable them to construction and exploitation of the land for any

purpose whatsoever, and rejected most of the requests made by the Palestinians under the claim of "

failure to provide the necessary conditions for the plans to build in areas classified (c)."

In a report published on May,7th, 2013 by Haaretz Israeli newspaper, it indicated that the area of

influence of the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has increased 7,372 dunums (7.4 km ²)

in 2012 to become 538 303 dunums (538.3 km ²) at the end of 2012, while it used to be 530 931

dunums (531 km ²) in 2011. It should be noted that the area of influence of the settlements exceeds

more than the area of the Israeli plans that was issued in 1991 regarding the Israeli settlements in the

occupied Palestinian territories. According to the Israeli newspaper reports, an Israeli military order

has been issued and approved in 2012 states that the Israeli settlements council were given control

over new Palestinian territories in the Occupied West Bank, in addition to those occupied by the

settlements today and those that come under the framework of Israeli structural plans to become

included within the boundaries of the Israeli settlements in the future. In fact, this increase did not

only happen in 2012, but also from the year 1991 until the 2011, the Israeli occupation authorities

issued several Israeli military orders that have not been announced at all by the Israeli authorities

which states the confiscation of more lands in the occupied Palestinian territories for the purposes of

security and other excuses. until the jurisdiction of the settlements area reached 530 931 dunums

(531 km ²) with the end of 2011. an increase of $ 44 794 dunams (44.8 km ²) was added to the space

in the Israeli plans that were issued 1991 , consisting 486.137 dunums (486.1 km ²).

In an analysis(conducted by the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ)) about the Palestinian

land that has been confiscated by military orders in order to be included in the area of the Israeli

settlements, the report shows that 1.19% of the area of the settlements (amounting to 538,303

dunums) is located within areas classified as area "A" according to the Oslo II Agreements made in

1995. It also shows that the rate is 1.86 % of the total area is in the zone under settlement power

which is located within areas classified as area "B". While the remaining area, which consists of

96.95 % of the area of the settlements power, is located within areas classified as area "C". Among

area "C" land, there is land which is classified by Israel as state land 2as well as “closed military

areas” 3in addition to the mine areas and part of these areas which are classified as natural reserves

4according to the Oslo II Agreement of 1995. The report also indicates that the area of Alfei Menashe

settlement consists of 6101 ,which is three times larger than its current size, 2825 dunums more than

the space that is mentioned in the structural plan of the settlement in 1991.

2 Retrieved from: http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/view.php?recordID=2660Poica

3 Land Research Center, Retrieved. " http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/view.php?recordID=713. Applied

Research Institute-Jerusalem, 8 5 2013. Web. 9 Apr 2014. 4 Retrieved from: http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studie s/view.php?recordID=713

http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studie


23

Israeli military orders which targeted Ad Dab'a village

Throughout the years of Israeli occupation, the village of Ad Dab'a has been targeted by many

military orders which have affected both land and property. The following is an Israeli military

order:

Israeli Military Order No. 457: issued on February 5th 2012 orders the evacuation of 160 dunums of

Palestinian land in the villages of Ad Dab'a and Ras at Tira in Qalqiliya Governorate under the claim

of "state land". The Israeli military order may select the 45-day period given to the Palestinian

farmers and landowners who are ordered to vacate the land and re-develop it to its former condition .

Of note here is that the land targeted is located in the area known as 'Al Shabablout' which according

to the scheme, the wall of racial segregation in 2003, was located within the buffer zone Israel ,

however, the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision in 2010 had been imposed on the IDF to change the

route of the wall to become the target area outside the buffer zone Israel. The Israeli authorities

returned to the target area of the new order declaring the territory of the state in an attempt to recover

what the Palestinians had retained through the Israeli Supreme Court in 2010.

The educational sector in Ad Dab'a Palestinian village

During the construction period of the Separation wall on the territory of Ad Dab'a in 2003 and until

the change of the wall route in 2010 (more than seven years), Ad Dab'a village and the neighboring

Palestinian villages suffered from the Israeli soldiers practices at the Israeli checkpoint, which was

the only way for the people of the village to interact the with neighboring Palestinian villages. The

Israeli practices has in particular targeted the educational sector, such as Ad Dab'a school, which is

the only source of education for Palestinian students in the village and in the neighboring Palestinian

villages (Ras at Tira and Wadi ar Rasha), which have been severely affected by Israeli procedures.

Since the closure of the school area with the construction of the wall, it became the only school in the

village located within the western isolation zone. The Israeli occupation forces prevented school

teachers (from nearby villages) from entering the area to go to their school. Moreover, the soldiers

often ask the students and teachers to enter a private room in order to search them using radiation

scan machines . Teachers would often refuse to do this because of the negative effects of the

radiation emitted from the machines. It had an especially dangerous effect on pregnant teachers,

which in turn impeded the educational process. In addition to this, there were students who were

often prevented from studying because of Israeli practices. It is worth mentioning that this school is

the only school in the village which is considered to be a home to more than 250 students from the

three aforementioned villages. Moreover, the teachers entered the school area for a period of seven

years (between 2003 and 2010) only through using special permits issued by the Israeli civil

administration which allowed them to enter. This was coordinated through the village council in the

region.


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The Israeli Segregation Wall plan in Habla and Ad Dab'a town

The implementation of the Israeli Segregation Wall plan on the ground has been ongoing since June

2002, following the decision of the Israeli Authorities to implement the separation policy between

Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories by establishing an isolation zone in the western part of

the West Bank. This isolation zone stretches from the north to the south of the West Bank, thereby

confiscating the most agricultural fertilized lands, isolating Palestinian societies (into ghettos) and

separating communities from one another. By controlling natural resources and connecting most of

the Israeli settlements in an attempt to legitimize the route of the Separation Wall inside the West

Bank, the isolation area also undermines the regional interaction between Palestinian towns and

villages, and controls the natural resources. The construction of the Wall has ignored the ruling of the

International Court of Justice (ICJ) made on July 9th 2004, in which they recommended that the

route of the Wall should be changed and Palestinians affected by the Wall in this area should be

offered compensation. On 30 April 2007, new amendments were made to the route of the Separation

Wall, in those areas which were deemed to contain geographical obstacles in the West Bank. These

amendments were based on solving the problems which considered a challenge in front of the

continuously building process of the Separation Wall Habla town was one of the villages that were

affected by these amendments to the original route (published in July 2002). This map showed that

the Wall would completely isolate Habla town and the neighboring villages of Ras 'Atiya, 'Arab Abu

Farda, 'Arab ar Ramadin al Janubi, An Nabi Elyas and Qalqiliya city, in an isolation zone called

Qalqiliya isolation zone. These villages would be surrounded by the Wall, from three sides (north,

west and south) leaving the eastern side, partly open in order for the villagers to interact with their

neighboring villages from the eastern side only. The map showed that there is another isolation zone,

located to the east of Qalqiliya isolation zone, called Ad Dab'a isolation zone, which includes Ad

Dab'a, Wadi ar Rasha, Ras 'Atiya (see Map No. 4).


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Map 4: Comparison between the path of Israeli Segregation Wall plan in 2002 and 2012


In March 2003, the Israeli military website published a new map for the route of the Separation Wall

in the occupied West Bank, showing new amendments on the Wall route. The new amendments

included Habla and the surrounding villages. Qalqiliya isolation zone has been divided into two

parts, the first being the isolation of Qalqiliya city through the construction of the Separation Wall

around the city from the northern, southern, and western sides. The only side which remained partly

open was the eastern side of the city, in order for the residents of the villages to remain connected to

their neighboring villages, with the exception of An Nabi Elyas village which remained between two

walls from the north and the south. The second isolation affected the villages of Habla and Ras

'Atiya, where the map showed that the wall will surrounding villages of Habla and Ras ‘Atiya from

three sides, north, east and west, while keeping the south-eastern entrance half open so that the

inhabitants can communicate with Palestinian communities around them to the south-eastern side.

The map showed that the town of Habla was completely geographically separated from its

neighboring city from the north side of Qalqiliya, which used to share with common economic

interests. The villages of 'Arab Abu Farda and 'Arab ar Ramadin al Janubi, were no longer included

in Qalqiliya isolation zone, however it became included in Ad Dab'a isolation.

Further changes to the route of the Separation Wall were announced on 20th February 2005, but

these amendments did not affect Habla town. However, on 30, April 2006, the Israeli military


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published a further change to the route of the Separation Wall. This time, the amendments included a

modification to the route of the wall in the Palestinian village of Habla and neighboring villages.

This latest amendment was for the benefit of the Ariel settlements bloc near to the village of Habla

from the east side. This settlement bloc is considered to be one of Israel’s main concerns, hence they

decided to separate this bloc into two parts; the first is Ariel and the second is Kedumim.

It is important to note that after these changes, the Ariel settlement bloc will include another five

settlements. These settlements are Revava, Kiryat Netafim, Barqan, Barqan Industrial Zone and Ariel

industrial settlement. Upon completion of the amendments to the Wall’s route, the Kedumim bloc

will include 12 settlements: Kedumim, Kedumim Zefon, Jit (Mitzpe Yishai), Giv'at HaMerkaziz,

Emmanuel, Yakir, Nofim., Neve Oramin, Karne Shomron, Shavei Shomron, Ma'ale Shomron and

Ginnot Shomeron. It is also worth mentioning here that as well as remapping the Wall around the

Ariel bloc, the Wall has also been made longer with these amendments, extending from 120km to

133km long to surround both the Ariel and Kedumim settlement blocs. These changes also increase

the area of land to be confiscated by the Wall in the Palestinian villages surrounding these two

settlement blocs. Furthermore, Israel will connect the Ariel settlement bloc with the rest of Israel by

constructing bypass road no. 5, whilst the Kedumim settlement bloc will be connected to the Alfei

Menashe settlement through bypass road no. 55, which also connects to Israel. These developments

effected more land to be taken, from the neighboring Palestinian villages, such as Habla town, as the

Wall was moved further back towards the settlement of Alfei Menashe. The only side which stayed

half open was the southern side of the town, to be geographically connected to their neighboring

villages from their eastern side. However, the rest of the village remained isolated and surrounded by

the Wall from three sides (north, west and east sides). Furthermore, the amendment made to the route

of the Wall in 2003 did not change the difficult economic situation (economic gap) that villages were

facing as a result of the Wall’s route of 2003,which separated Habla town from Qalqilyia city, which

was considered the economic center for both villages. Moreover, these new amendments had a

negative effect on the neighboring Palestinian villages. Because with this change in the town of

Habla, more lands were taken in order for this town to be geographically connected to their

neighboring villages from the east side. In their case more land were taken, these lands were

belonging to the neighboring villages, in order to make a geographical connection between the Israeli

settlements, in the area without worrying about what this change may cause to the entire Palestinian

community (See Map No. 3)

On April 30th

2007, the Israeli Ministry of Defense published further amendments to the route of the

Separation Wall on their webpage but these changes have not affected Habla town and the

surrounding villages from the last change in 2006. According to the latest map, it appears that 2.7 km

of the Separation Wall has been built on the village’s lands from the northern, eastern, and western

side. In addition, the Wall has isolated approximately 984 dunums of the town’s lands,

approximately 27 % of the total town area, which included Israeli settlements close to the town in

addition to agricultural lands and open spaces (see Table 15).


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Table 15: Land classification of the isolated area inside the Segregation Wall in Habla town

No. Land classification Area (dunums)

1 Agricultural lands 22

2 Open spaces 891.5

3 Isreali Settlments 5.5

4 Segregation Wall 65

Total 984


late 2003, Israel started to implement the plan on the ground , where, Israeli bulldozers razed the

agricultural land in the village of Ad Dab'a and the Palestinian villages surrounding and started

implementing their plans to isolate the Palestinian villages and occupy more Palestinian lands for the

benefit of the various settlement plans. The Israeli practices targeted the lands of Ad Dab’a for the

purpose of constructing the wall which had a negative impact on the people of the village and the

surrounding villages. These lands were the only source of livelihood, which prompted the owners of

the Palestinian territories in Ad Dab’a to advocate in the Israeli courts in an attempt to reduce the

damage that was caused by the construction of the wall, in order to get the village boundaries out of

the isolation plan that is imposed by Israel on the village and the surrounding villages in order to

implement the settlement plans. In early 2006, the residents of Ad Dab’a succeeded to change the

decision of the Israeli Supreme Court regarding the route of the wall on the territory of the village

which excluded the neighboring villages (Ras at Tira and Wadi ar Rasha) outside the isolation zone,

the issued amendment after the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court (June 2006) stated that 1.5 km

of the wall was built on the lands of the village and the surrounding villages from the north side and

in parallel to the village boundaries.

Development plans and projects

Implemented projects

Habla Municipal Council has implemented several development projects in Habla during the past

five years (see table 16).


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Table 16: Implemented development plans and projects in Habla during the last five years

Name of the project Type Year Donor

Establishing a sewerage network Infrastructure 2112 UNDP/ Japanese Government

Constructing Habla Municipality headquarters Public Services

2112 Ministry of Local Government/

Ministry of Finance

Constructing the services complex for local people Public Services 2112 GIZ

Expanding Habla’s water network Infrastructure 2119 USAID/ANERA

Restoring Habla Girl’s Elementary School Educational 2111 ANERA

Finishing Habla Girls’ Secondary School Educational

2119 Ministry of Local Government/

Ministry of Finance

Expanding Habla Girls’ Secondary School Educational 2118 PECDAR

Rehabilitating secondary roads Infrastructure 2119 The Municipal Credit &

Development Fund

Constructing a health clinic Public Services 2119 Islamic Bank

Paving roads Infrastructure 2118 Ministry of Finance

Establishing an electricity network Infrastructure 2111 Ministry of Finance

Providing a public bus, an agricultural tractor and an

ambulance Public Services 2119

Italy

Constructing a second floor in As Sumood Co-

educational Secondary School Educational 2117

Ministry of Finance

Source: Habla Municipal Council, 2012

Proposed projects

Habla Municipal Council, in cooperation with the town’s civil society organizations and the town

residents, hopes to implement several projects in the coming years. The project ideas were developed

during the Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) workshop conducted by ARIJ staff in the town. The

projects are as follows, in order of priority from the viewpoints of the participants in the workshop:

1. Establishing a citrus and guava juice factory with a filling and packaging unit.

2. Establishing a services complex to include the women's center, a center for people with

special needs, a public library and a youth center.

3. Expanding and rehabilitating the governmental health center to accommodate the growing

numbers of patients from the town and the surrounding communities.

4. Supporting farmers through the provision of agricultural resources and marketing their

products.

5. Completing the sewerage network in the town to cover Ad Dab’a locality.

6. Creating development projects to serve poor families and working women with experience in

sewing, livestock and others.

7. Establishing a resources room in Habla Boys’ Elementary School, as well as an integration

room for people with special needs.

8. Rehabilitating Habla Municipal Park.

9. Providing a structural plan for Ad Dab’a locality.

10. Reclaiming and rehabilitating more than 300 dunums of the town lands, and constructing and

rehabilitating approximately 5km of agricultural roads.


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11. Supporting more than 300 farmers in the town through helping them exploit more than 900

dunums of their lands located behind the Wall.

Locality development priorities and needs

Habla suffers from a significant shortage of infrastructure and services. Table 17 shows the

development priorities and needs in the town, according to the Municipal Council’s perspective:

Table 17: Development priorities and needs in Habla

No. Sector Strongly

needed

Needed Not a

priority

Notes

Infrastructural needs 1 Construction and paving of roads * 33.5km^

2 Rehabilitation of old water networks *

3 Extending the water network to cover new built up

areas *

4.5km

4 Construction of new water networks *

5 Rehabilitation/construction of new wells or springs * 3 wells

6 Construction of water reservoirs * 500 cubic meters

7 Construction of a sewage disposal network * 9km

8 Construction of a new electricity network * 4km

9 Providing containers for solid waste collection * 130 containers

10 Providing vehicles for collecting solid waste * 1

11 Providing a sanitary landfill *

Health needs 1 Building new clinics or health care centres * 1 health center

2 Rehabilitation of old clinics or health care centres * 1 health center

3 Purchasing medical equipment and tools *

Educational needs 1 Building new schools * Secondary school

2 Rehabilitation of old schools

*

The boys’ secondary

school and adding

classrooms to Ad

Dab’a school

3 Purchasing new school equipment *

Agriculture needs

1 Rehabilitation of agricultural lands * 220 dunums

2 Building rainwater harvesting cisterns *

3 Construction of livestock barracks * 40 barracks

4 Provision of veterinary services *

5 Provision of seeds and hay for animals * 250 tons per year

6 Construction of new greenhouses * 20 greenhouses

7 Rehabilitation of greenhouses * 25 greenhouses

8 Provision of field crops seeds *

9 Provision of plants and agricultural supplies *

^ 4km main roads, 6.5km secondary roads and 23km agricultural roads Source: Habla Municipal Council, 2012


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References:

Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ), 2013. Geographic Information Systems and

Remote Sensing Unit Database. Bethlehem - Palestine.

Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ), 2013. Geographic Information Systems and

Remote Sensing Unit; Land Use Analysis (2012) – Half Meter High Accuracy. Bethlehem -

Palestine.

Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ), 2013. Water & Environment Research Unit

Database (WERU). Bethlehem - Palestine.

Habla Municipal Council, 2012.

Ministry of Education & Higher Education (MOHE) - Qalqiliya, 2012. Directorate of

Education; A database of schools (2011/2012). Qalqiliya – Palestine.

Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. 2009. Ramallah, Palestine: General Census of

Population and Housing Censuses, 2007.

Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), 2010. Directorate of Agriculture data (2009/2010).

Qalqiliya – Palestine.

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